


The BFBF Protocol

by scarletmanuka



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Multi, Post end game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:15:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22964521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarletmanuka/pseuds/scarletmanuka
Summary: Tony is having a bad day so Bucky and Peter implement the BFBF Protocol, aka the Boyfriend Blanket Fort Protocol.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Peter Parker/Tony Stark, previous Tony Stark/Pepper Potts
Comments: 5
Kudos: 90





	The BFBF Protocol

**Author's Note:**

> For the Tumblr Ask: Annie !!! Could you please please please write something with Tony feeling insecure about his scars and missing arm (after he used the stones) and Bucky and Peter (& maybe Winter too) comforting him and uhh lots of love and affection ? please please pleaaaase 😌😭🤔

Bucky pulled into the long sweeping driveway and made his way through the trees and up towards the gorgeous house at the end. He pulled to a stop and got out of the car, taking in the view of the lake, the toys still scattered on the lawn from Morgan’s visit that morning, and the three deck chairs lined up along the porch where he often sat with Tony and Peter in the evening to unwind after a hectic day. He took a deep breath, still trying to get his head around that this was _real,_ that he’d gotten everything back and more after the snap had been reversed. Some days it felt like it was too good to be true.

The aftermath of the final battle with Thanos had been trying for them all. Tony had been gravely injured, losing an arm and suffering from severe scarring. The only reason he’d survived using the gauntlet was because Bucky and Peter had gotten there in time to lend their super strength to Tony, to bear some of the load. They still felt the after effects, but Tony had already absorbed the majority of the power by the time they’d gotten to him. Some days Bucky could feel his heart skip the odd beat, his rhythm forever changed by the power of the gauntlet, and Peter suffered from horrible migraines, but both were simple things in comparison.

Of course, sitting by Tony’s bedside, fingers linked with Peter’s and worrying together that they’d lose Tony before they could even be properly reunited had come with it’s own challenges. The biggest being the discovery that Tony and Pepper had reconnected after the snap and had had a child together. 

Bucky couldn’t blame Tony for getting back with his ex. As far as Tony had been concerned, his two lovers were dead and Pepper had been the one to help him through his grief. The trio’s wasn’t the only relationship that was affected by half the population returning after five years of being dusted, and he figured that everyone had struggled with the awkward situation they’d found themselves in. 

Pepper hadn't treated them horribly like they’d heard some people had been; she had been more than gracious towards Peter and Bucky, greeting them with a hug, introducing them to Morgan, and allowing them to sit with her by Tony’s side without once mentioning the massive elephant in the room. The two weeks that Tony had been in a coma had been difficult, but it had become even more so when Tony woke up. He’d been overwhelmed when he realised that Peter and Bucky had survived the battle and he’d pulled them both to him and clung to them, sobbing about how much he’d missed them, asking again and again if it was real. The reunion would have been perfect except for the part when they’d pulled away and realised that Pepper was still in the room and was looking lost.

Bucky had led Peter away to give Pepper and Tony some time alone together, and they’d wandered the halls of the hospital together, not talking, not even speculating what would happen. When Peter had stopped and a sob had escaped his throat, Bucky had pulled him close and assured him that no matter what happened, the two of them would always be together. It had calmed Peter a little but Bucky understood perfectly how Peter was feeling. It just wasn’t the _same_ with only two of them. They’d been together, all three of them, for two years before everything had gone to shit, and they’d been perfect for each other - the three of them against the world and they’d been invincible.

By the time they’d gotten back to Tony’s room, Pepper was just leaving. She’d smiled sadly and hugged them both. “We’ve ended things between us,” she’d told them, holding up a hand to forestall any protests. “I always knew that I was his consolation prize. Now that you two are back, I know I can’t stand between you. I’m going to be okay, really. I'll get a place close by so Morgan can spend time between both places without too much disruption but I just know that she’s gonna love having three dads now.”

And just like that, Bucky, Peter, and Tony were back together. Peter had taken Tony’s plans for Bucky’s arm and used them to create one for Tony, and after a long six months of rehab, Tony had fully recovered and had mastered the use of it. Bucky and Peter had continued to be a part of the Avengers, and Tony had stepped into the sole role of R&D for the team. He seemed hell bent on keeping the whole team safe and he made new and improved weapons and armour for all of them. As Pepper had predicted, Morgan had adapted easily to the changes and had quickly fallen head over heels for both Bucky and Peter. She stayed with them every alternate weekend and saw them at least three times mid-week as well. 

But of course, not everything was sunshine and roses. There were bad days, and as Bucky walked in the door and placed the car keys in the bowl on the sideboard, he caught a glimpse of Peter and knew that today was a bad day.

Peter was in the kitchen and his shoulders were hunched in a line of tension. He glanced over his shoulder at Bucky when he walked in and tried to smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. He turned back to the sandwiches that he was fixing, almost defeated.

“Oh, sugar, he having it rough today?”

Peter nodded, his hand stilling with the knife poised over the bread. He took a shaky breath in and then continued to cut the sandwich diagonally. “Yeah, yeah it’s bad.”

Bucky stepped close and rubbed at Peter’s shoulders, dropping a kiss to the side of his neck as he did so. “He in his workshop?”

“Yep. He’s not left it the entire day. Hasn't eaten, won't even speak to me.”

“Do we need to implement the BFBF Protocol?”

Peter thought for a moment and although Bucky couldn't see his face that well, he was almost certain that Peter would be chewing on his lip. He finally nodded once more. “Yeah, I think we do. It’s bad.”

Bucky nodded and dropped his arms to pull Peter into an embrace. “It’ll be okay, sugar, I swear. It’s just gonna take time.”

“I know,” Peter said, putting the knife down so he could lift his hands to clasp Bucky’s arms. “It’s just so hard seeing him like this.”

“I know. We just gotta stick with what we’re doing and remind him that he’s loved.”

Peter nodded and Bucky squeezed him even tighter. He could feel how upset Peter was in how he was holding himself and he empathised. Seeing the man they loved become withdrawn, depressed, and full of self loathing had been hard for both of them. Sure, Tony had always been quite self deprecating, and he’d struggled with PTSD and anxiety from the stuff he'd gone through before, but the deep depression he’d fallen into after Thanos was on a whole nother level. He blamed himself for the first snap, and also for the issues that had come with reversing it. The world had struggled to cope when the population had doubled overnight, especially as it had run at such a reduced capacity for five years. Poverty, homelessness, and famine were rampant across the globe and the Avengers were called in more often for rioting and looting than they were for dealing with any big villains.

On a more personal level, Tony had developed Body Dysmorphic Disorder and was extremely self conscious about himself. He has always had scars but the ones that were the result of the battle with Thanos caused him great distress. He rarely left the house so others wouldn’t have to look at his face, he didn’t like Bucky and Peter seeing him shirtless, and he wore long sleeved shirts most of the time to hide his arm. He always turned the light off before undressing and if either of his partners touched his scars, he would more often than not have an anxiety attack. 

There was little that Bucky and Peter could do, except for respecting Tony’s boundaries, and offering constant reassurances that they loved him, scars and all. Whilst playing with Morgan one day, Tony had had an anxiety attack and he had crawled into the blanket fort that he’d made with his daughter, and he’d calmed down much quicker than usual. He’d stayed inside it, even after Pepper had picked Morgan up, and Bucky and Peter had decided to join him inside his little cocoon of safety. Tony had been so much more relaxed, had seemed more like his old self, and when they stayed there for the whole night, he’d slept through, undisturbed by nightmares and thus the Boyfriend Blanket Fort Protocol was born.

They had a routine now and Bucky dropped one last kiss to the top of Peter’s head and left to start work. It was his job to build the fort and he was pretty proud of how good he was at it now. It was a matter of minutes to rearrange the living room furniture to not only clear a space large enough for three grown men to lay down comfortably in, but to also act as anchor points and support for the blankets. They’d purchased blankets specially for their fort over the previous several months, and he gathered them now, layering the floor with several of the softest, plushest blankets that Bucky had ever felt in his life, creating a comfortable and welcoming floor for their fort. Then he added the roof and walls, a complex layering and overlapping system of seven extra large blankets that would completely enclose the space. Once that was done, he strung up two sets of fairy lights, deposited a large pile of pillows and cushions, and then headed back into the kitchen to help Peter bring through the provisions that he’d gathered to see them through the evening.

When Tony wasn’t feeling the best, his appetite suffered but Peter had found that he would nibble on PB&J sandwiches, so he’d made extra for all of them and piled a plate high. There was also some sliced fruit, a thermos of coffee, a thermos of hot chocolate, and a container of cookies that Peter and Bucky had baked the day before. When everything was in the fort, it was time to collect Tony.

Bucky headed through to the workshop, pausing just long enough to admire Tony’s profile from the doorway. He was suddenly overcome with such love for the man that it was staggering and he pressed a fist to his heart as if trying to contain it. He would do _anything_ for Tony; fight for him, _kill_ for him, get down on his knees and worship him. Tony had changed during the course of the five years that Bucky and Peter had been gone, and he’d changed even more in the aftermath of the battle, but he was still _Tony,_ and Bucky would always love him, would always do whatever it took to keep him safe and happy.

He knocked twice on the door frame to announce his presence, and then he headed inside. Tony glanced up and one look in his eyes told Bucky that Peter was right - it was _very_ bad today. Deciding not to beat around the bush, Bucky said, “It’s BFBF night. Come on.”

Tony frowned, the scarred skin on the right side of his face paulling taut, and glanced at his workbench where he had a complicated hologram of a Widow Bite up, but then he seemed to deflate. He nodded and said softly, “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” He gave the command to FRIDAY to switch off the hologram and then he turned and took the hand that Bucky was offering, allowing himself to be led through to the living room.

Peter had turned off the lights but there was enough light from the sun setting outside for them to see by as they made their way to the entrance of the fort. Bucky held back the blanket that covered the entrance and Tony ducked down and crawled inside, with Bucky on his heels.

“Hey, Petey,” Tony murmured, crawling over to him and into his waiting arms.

“Hey, Tony,” Peter replied, pulling him into an embrace.

Bucky made sure the blanket door was in place before he knee walked his way across the soft floor to join his partners, lying down on the other side of Tony, sandwiching him between them. He draped an arm over Tony’s waist and nuzzled the back of his neck. 

“Thank you,” Tony whispered.

“Anytime,” Bucky said.

“We love you, Tony, so much,” Peter told him.

“I love you both, too.”

The fairy lights above twinkled softly, the blankets beneath them were warm and fuzzy, and slowly, Tony relaxed and the day got slightly less bad.


End file.
